National News Briefs; Police Arrest a Student In Killings at Gallaudet

Published: February 14, 2001

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13—
The police tonght announced the arrest of a man in the killing of two students at Gallaudet University here and said robbery had apparently been the motive.

The man, Joseph Mafnas Mesa, Jr., a 20-year-old freshman at Gallaudet, was charged with two counts of felony murder in connection with the deaths of Eric Plunkett and Benjamin Varner.

The killings, which occurred four months apart, roiled the 2000-member student body of Gallaudet and drew an outpouring of sympathy from residents of Washington.

Mr. Mesa, 20, is from Barrigada, Guam, the police said. He is expected to be arraigned on Wednesday in District of Columbia Superior Court.

Mr. Varner, 19, of San Antonio was found stabbed to death on Feb. 3 in his room in the same dormitory where Mr. Plunkett, also 19, of Burnsville, Minn., was beaten to death in late September.

At a news conference, the District of Columbia's police chief, Charles H. Ramsey, said thet investigation indicated that the motive in both cases had been robbery. Law enforcement officials said the arrest was based on evidence collected in a search of Mr. Mesa's room in a nearby dormitory.